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  • The 10 Best Things About Travel Nursing

The 10 Best Things About Travel Nursing

September 27, 2012 by Molly Mattison
travel

Travel nursing educator Candy Treft, RN, has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years, working up the ranks from CNA to LPN to RN. For the past eight years, she’s worked as a travel nurse, allowing her to practice and live in 14 states throughout the U.S. She regularly shares advice for those interested in travel nurse jobs on her website at: www.thegypsynurse.com.

As nursing students in our senior year, we are faced with a myriad of choices on where we want to begin our practice. So many options can be a little daunting. Do I want to work intensive care? Would med/surg be beneficial? Love kids, but unsure if I can care for them daily?

Nursing is a unique field in that there are so many options. With positions in settings ranging from physician’s offices to corporations to cruise ships, nurses are everywhere. The nursing career that I chose wasn't something that was promoted in nursing school. I had never even heard of a traveling nurse until I had been working as a nurse for several years.

Basic Requirements

Most travel nursing positions require 1-2 years in your 'specialty,’ whether this might be med/surg or trauma ICU. I recommend at least two years as a new graduate nurse prior to setting out on a travel nursing career.

What can I expect as a travel nurse? 

  • Travel nurses practice in a variety of areas, from ICU to psych to home health and beyond.
  • Contracts or assignments can range from 4-26 weeks. Overseas assignments generally range from 1-2 years.
  • Most commonly, travel nurses work through an agency. 

 

10 Things I Love About Travel Nursing

Why I have found travel nursing to be an amazing career can be summarized in this top 10 list:

  1. The excitement of arriving in a new city
  2. Having friends spread across all 50 states
  3. Never knowing when and where I will see my travel friends
  4. Learning new techniques, procedures and equipment
  5. Connecting with a place like a local
  6. A feeling of camaraderie among fellow travel nurses
  7. Time with family is more important and rewarding
  8. Touching countless lives and making a difference
  9. Experiencing the unique foods across America
  10. Freedom to explore and reach my dreams

 

If you’re interested in a career as a travel nurse, you can connect with me and learn more about the steps to take at www.thegypsynurse.com.

Learn more about other nurse specialties. 

By Molly Mattison

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  • † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, www.cswe.org. Detailed accreditation information for Chamberlain’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) programs can be found at this link

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